and by the way all the parade of horribles, the worst predictions about healthcare reform in massachusetts never came true. they are the same arguments that you're hearing now. >> reporter: as if the week went bad enough revelations of secret spying tactics are creating an uproar here and abroad. tureous though the nsa tracked the conversations of millions of citizens and some leaders. german chancellor angela merkel had her phone tapped as far back as 2002. obama personally apologized to merkel, but there are still questions about whether he knew about the eavesdropping. >> welcome to the white house. >> reporter: when things go wrong president obama often grabs hold of the situation and works to correct it in a big public way. >> nobody is matter than me about the fact that the website is not working as well as it should, which means it's going to get fixed. >> reporter: but this week he seemed overshadowed by the generals and leaders in his cabinet who instead took the heat. >> hold me accountable for the debacle. i'm responsible. >> reporter: kathleen is h sebelius endured nearly four